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Tuesday, August 04, 2015

Euthanasia and capital punishment

Many people who oppose capital punishment are the same people who support assisted suicide. A stock objection to capital punishment is the risk of executing the innocent. If you're wrong, they don't get a second chance.

But when it comes to assisted suicide, you know that you're killing the innocent. They weren't even convicted of a serious felony.

Moreover, they don't get to change their minds about the wisdom of committing suicide once they're dead. Death has a certain…you know…permanence.

If they hadn't undergone voluntary euthanasia, they might have overcome their depression, been in a much more upbeat mood a month later or a year later or whatever. But by assisting their demise, you rob them of a second chance.

Why do people who support assisted suicide but oppose capital punishment think convicted killers are entitled to the benefit of the doubt, but not depressed patients?

1 comment:

It's also worth pointing out that the "safeguards" in place for euthanasia are usually weaker than the safeguards in place in the criminal justice system. In some jurisdictions I believe you only need a couple doctors to approve your euthanasia whereas in a murder trial you'd need to convince the entire jury.